Four
by CerberAsta
Summary: Danny's in for a Halloween surprise.  Only the first story stays up, because the trilogy has been scrapped.
1. Pumpkins and Curses: Here It Goes Again

_**1: Here It Goes Again**_

_**Note to Old Readers: Yes, these first three chapters are "Pumpkins and Curses". If you feel like skipping them, feel free. The fourth chapter on, however, are new stuff, which I decided to add.**_

_**Hello all. I read an old legend and I was suddenly inspired. I spent time in Study Hall making out plans for it (partly for something to do, and partly to get it out of my head). Now, I am going to post it. I'm not sure if I'll actually get it done by Halloween (as I hope), but I will try. **_

_**Just a note: I ended up rewriting this chapter. The first version sucked big time.**_

_**Now then, for the fic!**_

_**...**_

_**New Amall Parking Lot...**_

The bus rolled in for a stop, and Mr. Lancer stood up before the passengers.

"Alright class, we've been given a three-day holiday here in New Amall, for whatever reason. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior," he warned.

The class all snickered, but were otherwise quiet as they walked off the bus. They all were huddled in their usual groups when the figure appeared from thin air. He was skeletal in nature, with a ragged cloak and burning arms.

**"Get away from here..."**

The class screamed in shock and fright, but Danny, forewarned by his ghost sense, took the opportunity to run behind the bus. The rings were barely visible, and no one noticed as he ran out from beside the bus. Danny prepared to shout something to direct attention towards himself (largely to distract the enemy from attacking others, and because it was just fun), but before he could, the ghost vanished into a portal.

Danny transformed back before any noticed, scratching his head.

"What the smoof?" he wondered aloud, amidst the dying screams of the fleeing class.

_**(Danny Phantom Theme Song Here)**_

_**New Amall Town...**_

"Why'd it show up, give a warning, then just vanish? That only happens in really bad horror movies," Tucker wondered aloud.

"Well, maybe there's something worse than that ghost here," Danny said.

"I wonder if it's one of my ancestors? I did descend from the founders of New Amall," Sam noted.

"Really? So did I!" Paulina chimed in, almost mockingly.

She immediately giggled as Dash high-fived her, and they walked on. Sam rolled her eyes, while Danny and Tucker looked around at the town. It seemed strange. The houses seemed rundown, yet people were visible within them, hustling and bustling about.

"How did we even get the holiday here, Mr. Lancer?" Tucker asked.

"Well, Mr. Foley, it seems a Mr. S. R. Etsam decided to donate a large sum of money to the school if we took the students on a three-day holiday to New Amall," Mr. Lancer asked, watching his students.

"Do you know why?" Sam asked.

"Maybe he had ancestors here, too. Maybe he liked the old legends about the place. Maybe he just threw a dartboard at this school and this town on a map to see who to donate to and which school to disrupt. In any case, you're teenagers. I shouldn't have to watch your every move. You shouldn't be able to get into too much trouble in the time it take me to buy a hat and jacket," Mr. Lancer grumbled.

The teacher looked around for a moment, then walked into the small building labeled "Crane's Clothing Store". The students immediately scattered like seeds in the wind, as various fair-like activities were soon spotted within the town.

Paulina, Valerie, and Sam all walked up to the dart-throwing contest, picked up three darts, and paid the lady in unison before realizing the other two were there as well. When they did, there was a spark of competition that hit the existing barrel of rivalry.

_WHOOSH!_

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

All three of the balloons popped for each contestant. They narrowed their eyes at their competitors' ruined balloons as if the objects had committed some heinous offense against them, before pulling back their arms, a dart in hand once more.

_WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!_

Again, all three popped. The fire in their eyes were raging and the electricity in the air was lethal.

_WHOOSH-WHOOSH-WHOOSH!_

One popped. Paulina squealed with giddiness as the lady handed her a stuffed bear, then handed Sam and Valerie plastic figures. Their mouths were gaping wide enough to accommodate a small car.

A moment later, all three heard a voice from nowhere. It was similar to the ghost in the morning, but there was a noticeable difference: it sound much more human.

**"Katrina?"**

Danny and Tucker noticed the competition, turned around once Sam lost, and headed off towards the candy store. There, they would have both a place to hide from the surely ensuing wrath and the excuse that they were going to buy her candy while they were, in fact, hiding from her. Not a word passed between them the entire time until they entered the shop.

**D-P**

"Okay, Tucker, how much money do you have?" Danny asked.

Tucker ruffled through his pack and pulled out a five. Danny pulled out the same.

"I've got more, but I need it for food. The thing said only breakfast was served at the hotel," Tucker said.

"Ditto. Okay, get a couple of those gummi bear packs. I've seen her tear through one with a vengeance. It's not pretty, but she's a bit more pleasant afterwards," Danny suggested.

The door opened, and the boys looked in the direction of the sudden sound. Kwan and Dash walked in, smug smiles on their face.

"Alright, it's just the jocks. Alright, let's get about four gummi bear packs. They're... a buck a piece," Danny said, picking up four.

They got to the counter and set down their packages. A minute later, they were four bucks poorer, but they were also protected from Sam's anger, with luck. At least, they would have been, had Dash not yanked their bag away and held it to Kwan, who pulled out a couple of the gummi bear packs.

"Thanks for the free stuff, Fenton!" Dash cackled.

An idea flashed through Danny's mind.

"Bet you couldn't beat Tucker at basketball," Danny snapped.

"Beg pardon?" Tucker asked.

"Shah, right. That pipsqueak couldn't beat me at any sport in the real world," Dash replied.

"Really? Prove it. There's a basketball court not too far from here. You win, we'll give you twenty bucks. Tucker wins, you give us back the candy and sixteen bucks. Are you gonna' deal or are you a chicken?" Danny dared.

Dash's eyes narrowed dangerously, then he relaxed.

"You're on, Fenton... Heh. I'm gonna' cream ya', geekazoid," Dash taunted.

He and Kwan exited the store, snickering with glee at the prospect of easy money.

"What was that, Danny? I'm going to come home in a full-body cast!" Tucker shouted.

"Well, this places appears to be haunted, wouldn't you say, Tuck?"

Tucker's eyes widened, then he smiled maliciously.

"Oh, this will be fun," Tucker said.

_**Basketball Field...**_

"One on one basketball against this geek? That's a laugh," Dash said.

"Seriously. What possessed him to challenge you?" Kwan laughed.

"Funny you should mention the phrase 'possessed', Kwan," Tucker said, walking out on the court with a basketball in hand.

An invisible Danny Phantom smiled maliciously, if only to himself. His ghost sense went off a moment later.

**"Curse you, Brom..."**

Danny tried to figure out where the voice came from, but he was interrupted when Dash darted by him, ball in hand. He tossed it, but Danny grabbed it and threw it to Tucker. He managed to catch it, then threw it himself.

It would have actually gone to the right and into the stands if Danny hadn't swooped by, grabbed the ball and slam dunked it.

"Um, three points?" Tucker asked.

"It's first to ten, geekoid. Just some messed up wind," Dash grumbled.

Dash held the ball in front of Tucker at half-court, faked right, then shot above him. A few feet from the goal it was smacked straight down to the ground. It bounced high, and was smacked again: this time into Dash's face. The jock moaned as Tucker got the ball and ran down the court, "shooting" a 3-pointer.

"I don't know what you did to get so good, you little punk, but I swear that I'm gonna' win the game," Dash hissed.

"Your move," Tuck said.

Dash shot, but it was smacked back immediately, catching him in the chest. It floated around, Tucker grabbed it, then ran, "leaped", and slam dunked it.

"How'd this guy get so good at basketball?" Dash roared.

"Score's seven to zero, Dash," Tucker said with a definite cockiness about him.

**"BROM!"**

Danny found himself thrust backwards. A force pressed in all around him, though he struggled desperately with it. He heard the swish of hoops and a cheer from Dash's group, but he couldn't do anything.

**"DAMN YOU, BROM!"**

Danny gasped for breath, finding himself choking.

"I'm... not... Brom..."

A moment later, the force disappeared, and Danny could breathe again.

"Score's seven to six, now, geek. Knew it was just luck. Gonna' getcha' again, Foley," Dash taunted.

"Heh, no way, Dash…" Tucker replied, clearly losing confidence.

"Don't worry, I'm back. Talk later, cream Dash now," Danny whispered.

Tucker nodded, bent down at his knees, felt Danny grab the ball, then leaped up, looking as though he threw the ball. Perfect trajectory. Its swishing sound was music to Tucker's ears.

"How the… what the… Buh?" Dash rambled.

"Just cause I'm a geek, that doesn't mean I don't have skills in sports," Tucker said.

"Duh!" Danny hissed in Dash's ear.

"What was that!?" Dash shouted, leaping away from the source of the noise.

"Well, this place is haunted. Didn't you see the ghost earlier? Duh," Tucker replied.

"Well, what's going to keep me from not paying you and just beating your face in?" Dash asked.

"That would be me, Mr. Baxter," Mr. Lancer noted, walking onto the basketball court.

"Wha-what? Mr. Lancer?" Dash said.

"Well, after I get out of the tailor shop with my new blue hat and jacket, I find my students have become something resembling the Diaspora. Then, I discover that the football star was challenged by Mr. Foley for a bet. I don't condone bets, but I hope losing this one prevents you from doing it again, Mr. Baxter. Hand over the candy and the sixteen dollars," Mr. Lancer ordered.

"How'd you know about the bet?" Dash asked.

"Kwan told me about it, after informing me, considerably less eloquently, mind you, that you were going to win the game. Hand it over," Mr. Lancer repeated.

Dash, grumbling under Lancer's eye, forked over the money and Kwan handed Tucker the bag. The look in their eyes told Tucker he was in for it later, but he didn't care. It was worth it to see them get beat at their own game.

The rest of the day had a similar mood, though it improved when Sam met back up with the guys, and they offered her their spoils.

_**Hotel Room 15…**_

"Hey guys?" Danny asked, in the darkness.

"Yeah, Danny?" Tucker asked.

"Did you guys hear a voice today?" Danny asked.

"Right after my contest, I heard someone say 'Katrina', whoever that is," Sam replied.

"I never heard anything," Tucker said.

"Well, my ghost sense went off once today, but I heard the voice twice during the basketball game. The second time, it attacked me. I don't know why, but when I said that I wasn't who it thought I was, it let me go," Danny replied.

"Who'd he think you were?" Tucker asked.

"Oh… what was it… Oh, yeah. Brom."

"Sounds like an old-fashioned name. Not that common nowadays," Sam said.

"That's because anyone with a name like that would be laughed right out of existence," Tucker snickered.

"It sounds familiar, though… I'm certain I've heard it before," Danny said.

"Eh, we'll figure it out eventually. In the meantime… night," Tucker said.

"Night."

"Night."


	2. Pumpkins and Curses: Believe It or Not

_**2: Believe It Or Not...**_

_**They're off the map, kiddies.**_

_**Cliffhangers are a pain, aren't they? Don't worry. The end of this fic will come soon. More specifically, three days. I will bust my butt to make sure this fic is finished by Halloween. Heheheheheh!**_

_**...**_

_**New Amall...**_

Danny, Sam, and Tucker walked through the town, bored and looking for something to do. A ladder to the right of them fell over, bringing a bucket of tools within a foot of crashing down upon Tucker, who nearly screamed when it hit the ground beside him.

"What the smoof?" Danny exclaimed, kneeling by the ladder.

A man was picking the ladder up immediately.

"Don't worry, no one was hurt, eh? No harm, no foul and all that. I bet this ladder is just a bit faulty. Rust and all that. I'll take it to the shop and fix it up and all that, alright?" the man said, carrying off the ladder.

"That guy's speech was suspsicious. He said 'and all that' about three times," Sam said.

"Yeah. The ladder was perfectly spotless. I'm not an expert, but I'd say it was new. Maybe a few weeks old," Danny added.

"Ah-huh. Well, come on, let's just keep going. There's gotta be an arcade somewhere," Tucker said.

They walked on, searching everywhere for a store with at least something electronic. His laptop had to charge, and Tucker was desperate for technology. A few moments later, they entered a store, just wanting to get out of the cold: the storefront didn't suggest an electronic inventory.

"Let's just get a few hot chocolates to warm up for a bit. You can survive a little longer without the laptop," Sam said, chattering.

Tucker nodded, handing the cashier the twenty he had "won" from Dash, and asking for the three hot chocolates. Danny's eyes brightened up, obviously remembering something. He motioned Tucker and Sam where to sit down. Tucker got the three cups on a tray and carried them over to the table a minute later.

"Hey guys... you know what the weirdest thing is about yesterday... It's something I just remembered. My sense only went off once yesterday. I know I encountered a ghost a few more times, but it didn't do a thing. I didn't get any warning at all," Danny whispered.

"Has it ever done that before? Not gone off, I mean?" Sam asked.

"Not that I can remember," Danny said, scratching his head.

The teens sipped their drinks for a moment, pondering. One after another, they sat their drinks back down on the tray.

"Well, on a different topic, do you guys think there might be some goth jewelry around here?" Sam asked.

"Probably. This place does have a few ghost-" Tucker started.

He was interuppted when the table shook, spilling their hot chocolate all over the table and into their laps. They shouted and leaped back, but, as they were still in their chairs, they only fell on their tails.

The cashier and another worker behind the counter were upon them in a moment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. The ground isn't stable around here. Would you like a refill? Maybe a free Xtremachino?" one asked.

"Owowowowow..." was the general response.

They were gently set back in their chairs by the burly man and the female co-worker. The man disappeared in the back for a minute or two while the woman cleaned up the mess. About five minutes later, the only thing that remained of the incident was the three refilled hot chocolates and the large Xtremachino with three straws in it.

"What was that?" Danny wondered quietly.

A few more customers entered the shop a second later, giving the workers something else to do than try and observe the potentially unhappy customers.

"I dunno. Minor tremor?" Sam asked.

"That whole row of china in the back would have crashed as well if it were even as small scale as it seemed," Tucker said.

"Then it was a ghost?" Sam asked.

"Why didn't my ghost sense go off when it happened though? It's cold outside, so I could understand if I just saw it as breath. It's warm enough in here that I'd be able to definitely see if my ghost sense went off," Danny replied.

The trio sighed, wondering what could be the problem. A few minutes later, they threw away their trash and headed out towards the front of town.

**D-P**

The wind was bitterly cold against their face as they walked through the leaves on the ground, a rainbow of earthy colors. Frost decorated the scene, showing the slow transition between fall and winter. Through this the trio tread, not sure where they were headed.

The ice was particularly slick near the ditch they were walking by, and this caused Tucker to immediately fall into it, getting him splashed by the cold water. He yelped, thrashing about to get up. He fell a second time, and this time, Danny and Sam helped him up. They came to a snag halfway through the job, but they just kept pulling. It was for nothing for a few moments. Then...

_RIIIIIP._

Tucker groaned as they pulled him onto the dry-ish ground. His right leg had a tear in the jeans.

"Aw, man, I liked this pair," Tucker moaned.

Danny grabbed the small chain that Tucker had snagged his jeans on. He dug around in the leaves and mud until he managed to loosen it.

"Danny, what are you...?" Sam trailed off.

Danny pulled out the sign, causing her question to die in her throat.

"Man, what am I gonna tell my mom?" Tucker hissed to himself.

"Tucker, we got bigger problems than ripped pants," Sam said, elbowing him.

"Oh, now what?" he demanded, looking at the sign.

_**SLEEPY HOLLOW**_

A scream pierced the midday air. Danny was in ghost mode in a second. He took off a second later, and was out of sight of his friends another second later.

"C'mon, Tuck. He'll meet us at the hotel. Let's get back there and keep you warm," Sam muttered, hefting Tucker up.

**D-P**

Danny touched ground at a small scene. The townspeople had gathered around an empty space.

"What happened?" he shouted in his best 'hero voice'.

"Crane finally got back Kat," a civilian muttered.

"What happened!?"

Kwan turned around.

"Danny Phantom? How're you here?"

"I make regular patrols. What happened here?" Danny continued.

"Well, we were just making jokes about the geeks when we heard this booming voice. That skeleteon dude showed up and said 'He's here'. We were scared witless by that. In all the confusion, Paulina disappeared. There was some weird mark left in the ground right there, I think," Kwan said, pointing to the center of the crowd.

"Thanks," Danny said, becoming intangible and floating through the crowd.

The marking was almost like a burn mark. The features of it were strange, almost as if it were a... jack-o-lantern. Danny's eyes scrutinized the mark, then he floated back to the hotel.

**D-P**

"I've heard of Sleepy Hollow somewhere," Tucker mumbled.

"Ichabod Crane, a schoolteacher, fell for a woman named Katrina," Danny started.

"But he was superstitious, as well. Brom, a rival, told them all of a Headless Horseman. Brom raced him passed the bridge, but when he got there, the Horseman disappeared," Sam continued.

"Ichabod and Katrina argued for a while that night, causing Ichabod to leave around midnight. He felt confident for a while until he reached the bridge and the Headless Horseman appeared, racing after him."

"He somehow managed to reach the bridge, and looked back at the Horseman. Rather than disappear, as expected, the Headless Horseman stood up in his stirrups, took the pumpkin off his shoulders, and tossed it."

"It collided with the back of his skull. The next day, his horse showed up, but no one found anything of Ichabod."

"Except for his hat and a cracked pumpkin," Sam concluded.

"Someone said that Crane had gotten back Kat. I think they were talking about Paulina. That voice we heard yesterday was Crane. Crane has Paulina..." Danny trailed off.

"Time to play hero?" Tucker asked.

"Not until tonight. Lancer will come by at ten to make sure everyone is in the room they have to be and that the lights are off. If Danny isn't here then, he'll be in huge trouble," Sam said.

"Alright then. Tonight, I go ghost hunting," Danny shrugged.

_**Later that Night, Abandoned Schoolhouse...**_

Danny landed on the dusty, dark land of the crumbling schoolhouse. His ghost sense had yet to go off, but all of his hairs were standing on end. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He heard the laughter of a child off to the side. He turned, but saw nothing.

_Definitely something wrong..._

With this thought, he continued on. Several times, he saw something flicker out of the corner of his eye or heard the sounds of children playing, but he ignored it, trying to get to the door as quickly as possible.

He opened it to to see Paulina and a weedy, geekish adult talking.

"Oh, you were always so worrisome, Crane. It's cute. I thought you had left. Brom told us that you confided in him you were tired of this place and wanted to move on. We had that spat about the baby, so I thought it was the truth," Paulina said.

Danny gawked.

"I forgive you, Katrina. It's just good to see you again. I'm so glad I finally managed to bring us together once again," Crane replied.

"What the hell is going on?" Danny shouted.

"Who are you?" Paulina-Katrina asked.

"I'm Danny Phantom, a hero of Amity Park. Paulina, like everyone there, is under my protection. Release her!" Danny shouted.

"Boy! I have been separated from her for hundreds of years. I will never relinquish my happiness again. Do you hear me? NEVER!" Crane roared.

He pointed a finger at Danny, and the desks launched themselves at him. Danny's instinctive shield raised, protecting him from the barrage.

"Katrina, my love, please turn away. This may get ugly," Crane suggested.

Paulina-Katrina turned her chair around, forcing herself to face the chalkboard. Crane launched himself at Danny, an arm covered in a strange, white substance. Dust flew from it as it collided with Danny's gut, having pierced the shield. It was chalk. Danny bent over at the waist, then Crane smashed him in the face with his knee. Danny somersaulted through the air, backwards, and Crane heaved up a desktop, then a pointer.

Danny recovered in mid-air and shot several ecto-beams at Crane, who deflected them with the desktop, oozing with its own ecto-power.

"I don't tolerate Brom-helpers," Crane growled.

"Whuh?" Danny asked.

Crane took a slice at Danny with the pointer, but Danny, aware that everything in the school was fatal, dodged it, then launched a punch laden with ecto-energy into Crane. It snapped through the shield and they both heard a crack as it broke bones. Danny grabbed him and threw him outside the schoolhouse, straight through the doors.

**D-P**

Danny flew out the doors himself and landed a kick against the fallen Crane, sending him skidding several feet. He flew over Crane, grabbing his limbs, pinning him.

"Now, who are you?" Danny demanded.

"I am Ichabod Crane," Crane spat.

"Ichabod has been dead for hundreds of years, who are you?" Danny demanded.

"I am Ichabod Crane, damn you!"

"Then how are you alive?" Danny demanded.

"That's my business, boy!"

"If you won't answer that question, then answer this one: how do I release Paulina from Katrina?"

"I'll never release her!"

"You are tearing her from her family! Her friends! There are people who love her more than life itself. Would you cause them pain for such a greedy goal?" 

Ichabod paled even more, if that were possible.

"...No. I will release her."

Danny sighed, "good."

**D-P**

Paulina and Danny walked down the dark and dusty path. Well, Paulina walked. Danny floated beside her.

"So... what happened?" Paulina asked.

"You had been doing something with your friends when you were knocked unconscious. They panicked and ran off. We've been looking for you in the woods ever since," Danny lied.

"Oh my gosh, my hair will be so horrid tomorrow. I can feel it messing up. This place isn't good to my looks!" Paulina complained.

"At least you're alive," Danny pointed out.

"I have you to thank for that, Danny Phantom. Come closer," Paulina said.

Danny, inquisitively, approached Paulina. She grabbed the back of his head, and, slowly, pressed themselves closer in a kiss. It ended a moment later, and Danny floated upwards. Both were blushing.

"Well, umm... go on back to the hotel. Your peers will undoubtedly be glad to see you. I have... others to save," Danny stumbled.

Paulina, smiling and blushing, walked on. Danny flew out of her sight, much farther back along the path and in the woods, then transformed. He hadn't enjoyed the kiss. He had a crush on her a while back, sure, but no longer. But, well, it was a _very bad _thing to crush someone's hopes if you didn't have to. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the clip-clopping of the horse until it was several yards behind him. He turned around and gasped.

The horse was black as pitch, with silver hooves glinting and red eyes literally blazing with fire. The rider wore an array of black. He had on gloves, a heavy cape, an old-fashioned shirt along with pants and boots. It was his head that caught attention though. It was a pumpkin.

The Headless Horseman rode again.

Danny transformed and took to the sky. Yet, despite the speed of his flight, the Headless Horseman was riding on his heels. He pushed the pedal to the medal. The bridge came up, and he flew faster, filled with glee. The Horseman should disappear around here. He passed the bridge, and felt a buzz of strange energy. Danny paused, looking around. A giant ball of fire had exploded far behind him, though it shouldn't have done anything. He shrugged and dropped down, preparing to become intangible and get to the hotel.

Pain sprouted from the back of his head, and his consciousness slipped into nothingness.


	3. Pumpkins and Curses: This is Halloween

_**3: This Is Halloween**_

_**I wonder... has anyone noticed that all three chapters bare a song as their actual title?**_

_**The poem Sam wrote was created in about five or ten minutes by me. No stealing unless you ask first, in which case it's not stealing.**_

_**Look at how unoriginal I am! I can't finish a story without some cliché appearing!**_

_**And YES, this is the end. I might make another story, I might not. I doubt it. In any case...**_

_**Happy Halloween everyone!**_

_**...**_

_**Hotel Room 15, New Amall...**_

Danny woke without a splitting headache, as he would've expected. Nor did he wake up in the wilderness, another expectation of his.

"Danny's finally awake, Tucker!" Sam called.

The most nerdish of the group walked in with a steaming mug of hot chocolate that he set before Danny, who took it graciously.

"What's up with you, man? It's like, nine o' clock. You're usually a decent morning person," Tucker asked.

"I'm just surprised to be here, guys...," Danny grumbled.

When asked about it, he explained everything, from Paulina and Ichabod, to the Headless Horseman. He expressed wonder at how he got in.

"We don't know, Danny. Lancer locked all the doors from the outside, so we couldn't get out when you didn't come back. We finally went to bed at around one, I think," Sam said.

"Well, anyways, we should get out some. It'll be good for me," Danny said.

"How about the coffee shop? There's some poets and artists there," Sam said.

"There's also a chess tournament going on," Tucker added.

"Sure. You guys go ahead. I wanna' finish off my hot chocolate, then I'll catch up. What's the name?" Danny asked.

"Joc's Coffee Shop," Tucker answered.

"Sounds like a song," Danny muttered.

Sam and Tucker snickered, then exited the room, leaving Danny to himself for a few minutes. He took another sip of his hot chocolate, when the pain came. It shredded through his chest, then splintered off and grew, stopping at his head and blossoming outwards. The pain spread lightly throughout the rest of his body from his chest in about a second. The sudden shock and the sheer pain caused him to throw his cup across the room, shattering it and spilling hot chocolate everywhere.

He screamed as hard as he could. Then the pain worsened. And he _**screamed.**_

Just when he thought it would never end until he saw a light, it was over. He collapsed on his bed, unaware of how much he had writhed about on the mattress. His face was covered in sweat and was incredibly pale. A few tremors spread through him, causing him to shake and shiver for a few minutes longer.

He was amazed that no one had heard him, but then he paid attention to the outwards sounds. The wind was howling horrendously and the ice was shattering against the building. Most of the places were far enough away that, considering all the muffling, it would have been more amazing if someone had heard him.

The pain didn't return for another half hour. Danny decided it was safe to get up, so he cleaned up the shattered glass, then used some paper towels to mop up the hot chocolate. He walked over to the sink, still incredibly queasy. He noticed how pale his face was, and figured he was probably in a minor degree of shock. A spear of pain shot through his chest and head, causing him to grip the sink. However, it only lasted a second, and wasn't nearly as horrible as the first shot.

He huffed and puffed, out of breath, then looked around for a moment. There was another cup of hot chocolate in the microwave. He heated it up for about thirty seconds, then drank deep of it, letting the scalding, delicious drink warm him.

Danny set down the cup, bundled up, then headed outside.

_**Joc's Coffee Shop...**_

Danny was glad that the blizzard had apparently died down. He wasn't sure if he would have actually been able to stay out in the cold. Now, it was just a light snow. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

He sat down beside Sam, who was marveling at an odd piece of artwork by one of the local artists. It depicted a lovely scene of the winter, with one oddity: the wolves all had skulls instead of normal heads, yet they were obviously in some form of life.

"It depicts how everything in winter is dead," the artist noted.

"Well done," Sam applauded.

"Do you have anything?" the artist asked, politely.

"I've got a poem," Sam said, semi-quietly.

"Let's hear it."

"I'd rather not..."

"Well, come on," Danny urged.

Sam sighed, clearly not wanting to.

"Hair bright white / he prepares to fight. / The parade of troubles marches on / he fights from dusk to dawn. / To protect is his life / to fight is his strife. / Honor is his call / and it may be his fall. / When he leaves / my heart grieves. / If he should go / what pain it would sow. / He's my friend and more / waiting at my heart's door."

"Very well written. I sense deep emotions within, just like within your sketch. What does it represent?" the artist asked.

"A number of things. It's not something I really want to talk about," Sam said.

"I understand. It took me a few years to admit why I believe winter is dead. Reminds me of my mother's death. Art was a form of expression in myself for the longest time. A lot better and a lot easier than visiting a psychologist, I must admit," the artist noted, "In any case, I must leave you two. There are a few other artists. I need to get back to work."

"Pretty cool poem, Sam. What inspired you?" Danny asked.

"Eh... not anything specific. Comics. Cartoons. Video games," Sam said, offhandedly in a vaguely false manner.

"Where's Tuck?" Danny asked.

"He's over at the chess tournament on the opposite side of the shop. Funnily enough, we were wondering the same about you," Sam noted.

"It wasn't anything major. I made myself some breakfast. Then I broke one of the dishes, so I had to clean it up. Took a lotta time," Danny lied.

"You sure?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

The harshness surprised both of them.

"Sorry, Sam. I had a rough night. Paulina was kidnapped because Ichabod loved her ancestor, Katrina... She wasn't lying when she said she was one of the descendants of the founders here," Danny whispered.

"That'd be a rare thing from her. That ditz probably just didn't realize it," Sam grumbled.

"That's be a rare thing to happen. Come on. She says she's a descendant and then she's actually possessed by someone who would know whether or not she was. That was a spell Ichabod cast, I'm sure of it... Anyways, I wanna' have fun. The ghost trouble's all over. Let's just have fun," Danny said.

Oh, he is just _asking_ for trouble.

"Well, I heard something about a horse race today. It'll start in a few minutes. Let's go check it out," Sam suggested.

Tucker walked over to the table, somewhat dejected.

"You lost?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. I wasn't on my A game today. So, what's the plan?" Tucker asked.

Sam and Danny nodded, then they headed out into the cold fall afternoon.

_**Race Track...**_

Danny, Sam, and Tucker approached the race track. By some weather abnormality, the sun was out again and the snow had already melted. A man stood on a platform, shouting.

"Horse race! Anyone can compete! Five bucks entry! First place gets twenty bucks! Second gets ten! Third gets five! Step right up!"

"You've ridden a horse before, haven't you, Danny?" Sam asked.

"A few times, yeah."

"Well, try the race."

"Sam? I'm nearing broke."

"I won ten dollars in that art contest with a sketch of Skulker and Ember. No biggie."

"Well... sure."

Sam handed Danny the money, then sat in the bleachers. Tucker snickered, before looking at Danny and speaking.

"You're going to lose horribly."

"You're no help."

"I'm not here to... Heh. Good luck, man."

Tucker sat beside Sam, and Danny paid the man to enter the race. The announcer called a girl who lead Danny into one of the stalls with a horse inside.

"Do you know how to mount a horse?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. I have about eight others competing who don't. The local champion's competing, just a warning. Don't get your hopes too high."

The girl left the stall to help the others. Danny hopped on the horse in a swift, smooth motion that didn't fit one who hadn't ridden a horse in quite some time. He lowered himself on his horse in the perfect racing position. He felt himself as a mere extension of the horse. He felt power flow through his body and into the horse. The stalls opened simultaneously and a gunshot cracked throughout the sky.

The horses burst from the gate, but none as quickly as Danny's. His eyes were closed, yet somehow he saw. It was in grayscale all around him. He could sort of see the finish line, but he could see the competitors easier for a few moments, before they all fell behind. Danny opened his eyes, and the grayscale vision disappeared, along with the poor vision. He saw his horse's head flicker for a moment, almost skeletal, then it was back to normal.

He crossed the finish line. A few of the more perceptive members of the audience noticed that the line seemed to have a flicker of fire upon it, if only for a few seconds as the other horses crossed it. Danny dismounted his horse, and he felt weak upon the solid ground.

He was presented with a twenty dollar bill as the announcer shouted his name to the cheering crowd. Danny smiled as he walked towards the bleachers. The other horsemen were disgruntled as they received lower prizes or none at all.

Dash snickered as Danny came towards the bleachers, then stuck out his leg a second before Danny was about to trip over it. To his surprise, Danny jumped on the foot, sending pain through it. He then whirled and slammed his fist into Dash's face, causing the jock to fall back. Danny looked vaguely surprised, but definitely pleased, until he saw Lancer looking around for the commotion. He darted out of sight, then darted into the forest. No one suspected a thing, and Dash wouldn't tell out of pure fear of losing credit. Telling anyone he had been knocked for a loop by the lowest person on the totem pole was not something on Dash's to-do list.

He and Danny both were thankful that no one was paying attention.

_**Forest...**_

Danny hadn't been seen by anyone except the most dangerous person there. His name was Derrick Geri, and he was the local racing champ of the horse races. He hadn't been beaten in over a decade unless he wanted to be, and that was just to draw in crowds. He was the best there was, and he was looking to go for some serious championships at some point, but hadn't the time or money.

He also had anger issues and incredible strength, along with a degree of stealth and intelligence enough to slip into the woods when he saw the boy who beat him dart in there. He figured it was probably to meet up with some girl in the middle of the woods.

Derrick was planning that he wouldn't leave the forest.

He caught up with his target and lunged from the bushes after a moment of waiting. To his surprise, the boy side-stepped the lunge, grabbed him by the arm, and swung him down even harder than Derrick thought possible. The horse jockey pistoned out a fist, but Danny leaped over it, landed on his arm, then delivered a swift quick to his face. Derrick howled in pain as blood flowed freely from his fresh wound.

"Wrong time to mess with me," Danny growled.

Derrick looked up at him, and, for a moment, he later swore he saw the kid's head turn into a pumpkin. Danny grabbed Derrick by the throat, twirled around, and slammed the jockey into a tree, then delivered another block to his face. Derrick slipped into unconsciousness. Danny, growling angrily to himself, dragged him onto the well-known trail. He remembered that there would be a tour in just a few minutes. He didn't know much about wounds, but he did know that Derrick would survive that long.

Danny muttered for a few more moments, trying to calm himself. He transformed, and headed to the Hotel, wondering why he had entered the forest in the first place.

_**Room 15...**_

Danny phased into the room and transformed, seconds before Sam and Tucker entered the room.

"Danny, what happened?" Sam asked.

"Nothing of importance," Danny replied.

"Dash got hit. Was that you?" Tucker asked.

"No," Danny lied.

"Danny, nobody saw it happen, but I'd bet all twenty of those dollars you won that it was you. Dash was at the bottom of the bleachers you went by. You've been acting weird all day...," Sam trailed off.

"Fine. I hit him. So what?"

"We were just asking," Sam said, indignant.

"I wanted a movie file of it," Tucker said, helpfully.

Mr. Lancer opened the door and immediately launched into the announcement.

"The bus has broken down. It'll be a while before the mechanic can fix it. We also have no way of communicating. A storm is coming in and it's messing with signals. Don't try it, you'll just run up your phone bill."

He immediately shut the door, before anyone could say a word, undoubtedly to go repeat the message, as is the life of teachers.

Danny growled lowly to himself, transformed, and flew out of the room.

"What is _wrong_ with him?" Sam demanded.

"Well, he changed today. He met up with Ichabod last night. Coincidence is rare in superhero work," Tucker pointed out.

"When should we leave?" Sam asked.

Mr. Lancer opened the door.

"The bus will take a lot longer to fix than expected. We will undoubtedly be here an extra day, beyond Halloween. Curfew of ten o' clock still stands. It's seven now," he growled, slamming the door again.

"Well, that was unexpected," Sam said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah man! It's Halloween! I forgot! Candy, Sam! Candy!" Tucker shouted.

"Tucker, we're going to visit Ichabod. Now." 

"Ummm... okay?"

_**Schoolhouse...**_

It was 7:30 by the time Tucker and Sam got to the approximate place where Paulina had supposedly been taken to. The schoolhouse was just as creepy to them as it was to Danny. Ichabod floated out of the doors, in a foul mood.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"We're friends with-" Tucker started.

Sam elbowed him, shushing him.

"We want to know what happened here last night," Sam asked.

"Oh, so that boy was friends of yours? Has he been taking to the curse well?" Ichabod half-cackled.

"What the hell did you do to him?" Sam snarled.

"I heard my legend was publicized. You've heard it, have you now?"

They nodded.

"There were a few things they left out, largely because they didn't know about it. Washington Irving wasn't thorough in his research, but it was pretty much impossible to be. Brom didn't exactly give off the impression of being intelligent or a demon-Summoner," Ichabod noted.

"Demon-Summoner?" Tucker asked.

"Yes. Brom had bonded himself to a demon. He was granted incredible strength, along with intelligence, and even speed. This made him the most charismatic man in Sleepy Hollow. Katrina was the only woman who wasn't immediately wooed by him. She loved me, and I her. I couldn't face up to Brom, and he committed what you call sexual harassment several times. Katrina and I fought over it one night, and I rode off. Brom became the Headless Horsemen willingly and passed the curse to me. He kept the benefits, and no longer had to explain where he went every full moon. I was killed by it and bonded to the Earth."

"So you passed it to Danny? You JERK!" Sam screamed.

"I didn't intend on passing the curse. That actually caused problems for this town. It's drenched in ecto-energy. Quite a few spirit mediums wander through here, then leave complaining of headaches. It's caused because of me staying here for so long. I heard a few complaining about some skeleton ghost. Probably some side effect of drenching the place in ecto-energy. Can't be healthy," Ichabod said, off-handedly.

"That's why Danny's ghost sense has been going off. It only goes off once when a ghost approaches until the ecto energies are gone completely, otherwise it'd be going off constantly in the Ghost Zone," Sam said.

"So, you became the Headless Horseman?" Tucker asked.

"No. Remorse kept me human. It kept the demon at bay. However, I was filled with anger when Danny forced me to give up Katrina once more. I became the Headless Horseman again."

"Can we save him?" Tucker asked.

"Well, since it didn't kill him, I'd say he probably just needs a blast of light energy. Since the sun didn't work, though, silver might work. If that doesn't work, kiss him. It could be someone who absolutely despises him. Kissing represents love in and of itself, so it should expel the demon. I'd suggest silver though."

"I bet you'd prefer the kissing bit," Tucker snickered.

Sam slapped him.

"Shut up or I'll kick you in your lower appendage, and I don't mean your feet," Sam growled.

"Okay, sorry. I mean, it's obvious, though, isn't it? Tucker asked.

"Are you serious?" Sam asked.

"I heard your poem. Unlike Danny, my mind isn't clouded by a demon, nor am I _that_ stupid. Don't insult my intelligence, Sam, come on," Tucker replied.

"I'll just... ya' know... go back inside... and stuff," Ichabod mumbled, floating into the school.

"Silver, Tucker," Sam growled.

"There is no silver to be found around here, trust me. I've seen everything around this place. There isn't anything silver at all around here," Tucker said.

Sam sighed.

"The universe hates me. I'll take it out on you later. Come on, let's find Danny."

Tucker smiled discreetly as they walked through the darkness, heading back to the Hotel.

_**Hotel Area...**_

They were almost at the Hotel when Danny found them.

"Hey guys. What have you been up to?" he asked, smiling falsely.

"Nothing really. We just took a stroll for a while," Tucker said.

"Really?" Danny asked, dangerously, approaching Tucker.

"Danny... you're scaring me, man," Tucker said.

"Really? I was going for terrifying."

Danny was right in front of Tucker, glaring angrily.

"Danny, what is wrong with you?" Sam demanded.

"You two. Alone. Call me paranoid, but I'm suspicious."

"Why? We didn't do anything. Trust us, man," Tucker said.

"That's not so easy, when you've been such a jerk," Danny growled.

"Danny, stop it," Sam urged.

"No, I don't think I will."

Danny grabbed Tucker by the throat and held him high in the air.

"Danny!" Sam shouted, "Stop it!" 

"You two alone disturbs me. I want to know the truth as to what you did with Tucker. I'll get it from him if he doesn't die first," Danny said.

"Sam... ki-ki..." Tucker gasped.

"Sam kissed you? Really. What did that lead into, I wonder?" Danny asked, visibly furious.

While he was focused on Tucker, Sam lunged at Danny, grabbed him, and, scrounging up her courage in a split-second, gave him a peck on the cheek. Danny looked shocked as he turned and faced her. His eyes were ablaze for a moment, then he dropped Tucker and fell to his hands and knees, coughing.

"What's happening?" Sam asked.

"It's supposed to get rid of the curse," Tucker said, clearly not knowing what was going on.

The same heart-stopping pain tore through Danny, but this time it was in reverse. It started in his entire body, then shrank quickly into two points at his heart and head. Two tendrils of some strange energy emerged from his chest and head, as he let out a scream. The tendrils tangled together, then speared into the ground, completely disconnected from him. He huffed and puffed, trying to get his breath back.

Sam and Tucker, satisfied, walked towards Danny to help him up.

_CRACK._

They turned around, confused.

_KA-CRAAAAAACK._

The ground split behind them, and red light poured from the cracks, before it exploded with fire. A figure walked from the energy, covered in smoke for but a moment. From the top up, he was demonic, with twisted flesh that was spiky. His head was a jack-o-lantern with flames licking about it. From the top down, he was very-horse-like, without being a centaur.

The Headless Horseman had risen again.

"Danny..." Sam warned, trailing off.

She saw the white rings appear out of the corner of her eye, and then she saw Danny speeding towards the Headless Horseman.

Danny shot upwards, and the Headless Horseman cackled, spraying fire at him. Danny dodged what he could, and shielded against one spurt of the deadly element. He focused for a moment, then let out a quick spray of ecto-energy beams. The Headless Horseman dived to the side, shooting up another burst of fire.

Danny took it in the face, and he screamed as it burned him. He shot through the air, causing the wind to put it out. The demon cackled as it sent off a spray of fire, then shot towards his friends. Sam and Tucker were snatched up in a moment, and the demon put a claw against their throats.

"Get closer, boy, and I cut 'em," the Headless Horseman warned.

A football slammed into him, harmlessly, but the distraction was enough for Tucker and Sam to get away.

"Hey, freak! Nobody messes with the geeks except all of Amity High!" Dash shouted.

The Headless Horseman started to dash towards him, but he was interrupted by a blast of ecto-energy. Danny landed on the ground, facing him.

"Nobody threatens my friends and gets away with it."

"Then I'm Nobody."

"You are nothing, do you hear me? NOTHING!" Danny shouted.

More specifically, he Wailed. The sonic-ecto power washed over the Headless Horseman, knocking him into the Hotel. Danny stopped the wail before it could seriously drain him, and flew as fast as he could, slamming a fist into the demon. The wall cracked a bit, but didn't smash, to Danny's delight. He grabbed the Headless Horseman, punching him square in the face repeatedly.

"Stupid boy..."

The demon spat fire in Danny's face, causing the ghost-boy to recoil and fly off to put it out. A gunshot rang through the night, the source being Mr. Lancer, holding a smoking rifle.

"No one threatens my students. End of sentence. Got that, demon?" Mr. Lancer snapped.

Several months of living in Amity Park had desensitized Lancer to the appearance of supernatural entities. Thus, he came prepared. It was noble, but somewhat stupid. The demon turned to face him.

"Your pathetic human weapon can not hurt me," the Headless Horseman snapped back.

"Oh snap!" Tucker shouted.

The students and Mr. Lancer bolted for the hotel, desperate to get distance between themselves and the monster. He slowly walked towards them. He had all the time in the world to hunt them down, after all. A fist smashed into the back of his head, followed by several ecto-blasts.

"Forget about me, fugly?" Danny asked, swerving back to avoid retaliation from the demon.

"I figured you would be dead, boy."

"A lot harder to kill me than that," Danny shrugged.

_**Room 15**_

Meanwhile, Tucker was looking through his hotel room. After a moment, he found it. He took the object and bolted back outside.

_**Hotel Area...**_

Danny flew back as the demon belted him across the face. He recovered a moment later, kicking the demon in the meantime. The Headless Horseman laughed at the pathetic attempt. He heard running behind him, getting louder, but he paid it no mind.

Danny blasted him in the face, which didn't do much good. The flames flickered green for a moment, then the demon belched out similarly colored fire. Danny took to the skies to avoid it.

Tucker reared back, with all his might, balled up his fist, and smacked the Headless Horseman across the back with his silver brass knuckles. The demon whirled around in surprise and shock. Tucker repeated the previous procedure, but this time, he hit the demon in the face. The Headless Horseman flew back from the sheer power of the silver, writhing in pain.

Danny touched ground, watching as the demon seemed to have a seizure, before finally imploding.

"Good job, Tucker."

"Don't mention it."

Sam walked up behind him, dangerously, whirled him around, and slapped him across the face even harder than before.

"What was that about this town having no silver?" she demanded.

"Hey, I didn't think you had to have silver to kill it," Tucker said.

"I did suggest silver," Ichabod replied.

"Like I said, good job, Tucker," Danny said, winking this time.

Sam's cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and anger.

"I hate you two. _So much._"

"Yeah... I'm going to be at peace now... Maybe go into the after-realm and stuff...," Ichabod mumbled, floating off.

_**Master Manor...**_

Vlad sat on a throne-like chair, observing his computer monitors, which had observed the recent fight with the Headless Horseman.

"Incompetent ghost. I put up money and the suggestion that the brats go to Sleepy Hollow. I trace Katrina's lineage down to that friend of Danny's and that ditzy popular girl. I tell Ichabod about Katrina's current ancestors. I lie to him about Danny being a follower of Brom. Yet, _still_, Danny lives. Ichabod didn't even kidnap the right girl. I told him to go after the goth girl. Does he? No. Stupid ghosts," he growled to himself.

"Sir... I believe you had orders for me?" Skulker asked.

"Yes. I need you to steal something in a moment. Technus has the information on his hard disk. Download that," Vlad said, shooing away Skulker.

"Yes sir."

"Ah... Maybe next time, Daniel Fenton will fall into my grasp... for apprenticeship... or death. Until then, rest easy while you can," Vlad muttered.

**End**


End file.
